The Soul Of Black
by MirskianQueen
Summary: What if Sirius really was everyone thought him to be? A Death Eater. A Murderer. Twelve years ago, he failed in his attempt to kill Peter... After he is exposed, he kidnaps Harry to escape the Shrieking Shack.
1. Chapter 1

**_THE SOUL OF BLACK._**

**_What if Sirius really was everyone thought him to be? A Death Eater. A Murderer. Twelve years ago, he failed in his attempt to kill Peter... After he is exposed, he kidnaps Harry to escape the Shrieking Shack._**

**_PROLOGUE._**

"Harry! It's a trap! He's the dog. He's an Animagus...!"

Harry looked down, following the paw prints on the floor to a pair of filthy human feet. He looked up slowly at the man standing in the shadows.

Filthy, matted hair hung to his shoulders, his skin was like a corpse, Ron's wand held tightly in a thin hand. His yellow teeth were bared in a grin. It was Sirius Black. "Expelliarmus!" He croaked, pointing Ron's wand at them.

Harry's and Hermione's wands shot out of their hands, high in the air, and Black caught them. Then he took a step closer. His eyes were fixed on Harry. "I thought you'd come and help your friend," he said hoarsely. His voice sounded as though he had long since lost the habit of using it. "Your father would have done the same for me. Brave of you not to run for a teacher. I'm grateful... it will make everything much easier..."

Hermione moved to stand in front of Harry, "If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us, too!"

"Fine by me," Sirius said as his grin widened.

"No!" As Sirius pointed Ron's wand at her, Harry drew his wand, pushing Hermione behind him. "Take Ron and get out of here."

Sirius grinned evilly, "And what makes you think I would let them leave?"

"It's me you want," Harry stepped forward, positioning himself between Sirius and the door, shielding Hermione and Ron behind him. "They have nothing to do with this."

Ron stared at Harry in horror, "Harry, no!"

Hermione shook her head, "We're not leaving without_." She broke off as they heard muffled footsteps were echoing up through the floor, someone was moving downstairs. "We're up here!" Hermione screamed loudly. "We're up here – Sirius Black – Quick!"

Sirius whirled toward the door, then he lunged towards Harry, holding him tightly as he struggled in a vain attempt to escape.

The door of the room burst open in a shower of red sparks and Harry wheeled around as Professor Lupin came hurtling into the room, his face bloodless, his wand raised and ready… He froze inside the door, his eyes wide as he stared at Harry as he struggled in Sirius' grip. "Let Harry go."

Sirius snorted and shook his head, "I don't think so."

"He's an innocent child, Sirius."

Sirius shrugged, pressing the tip of Ron's wand against Harry's throat. "So long as you do as I say, Harry won't be harmed." Grinning evilly at Professor Lupin, he nodded towards Ron and Hermione, "Now, toss your wand over here and go stand with the kids."

As Professor Lupin complied; throwing his wand at down Sirius' feet as he backed towards Ron and Hermione, Sirius grinned down at Harry. "You were wrong before, about me wanting you." He said quietly, "I am after someone though, someone in this room right now; someone who until quite recently, I believed to be dead… Peter Pettigrew."

Still struggling, Harry scowled, "Pettigrew's dead…" he forced himself to look up into Sirius' face, "You killed him."

Black threw back his head and laughed, "I meant to," he scowled, his yellow teeth bared, "But little Peter got the better of me... not this time, though, This time, I'll really kill him."

"What're you talking about?"

"Why don't you show them who you really are Peter?" Sirius' gaze lifted, focusing on Scabbers, who began to squeak without stopping, twisting and turning in Ron's hands, his tiny black eyes bulging in his head. "Transform now or I'll kill Harry!"


	2. Chapter 2

**_THE SOUL OF BLACK._**

**_What if Sirius really was everyone thought him to be? A Death Eater. A Murderer. Twelve years ago, he failed in his attempt to kill Peter... After he is exposed, he kidnaps Harry to escape the Shrieking Shack._**

_In this story the confrontation in the Shrieking Shack doesn't happen on the full moon - I want Remus to be able to help search for Harry.  
_

_And unfortunately, since I don't know how to incorporate the time turner into my changes, Buckbeak will die._

**_CHAPTER ONE._**

"You won't be killing anyone else, Black." Severus Snape pulled off the Invisibility Cloak, his wand pointing, directly at Sirius. "Let Potter go now."

Completely unconcerned with the wand pointed at his face, Sirius grinned gleefully. "That is a very tempting offer,_ Snivellus_." He said casually, "but I have a better idea." BANG! Thin, snakelike cords burst from the end of Sirius' wand and twisted themselves around Snape's mouth, wrists, and ankles. His angry cry was muffled as he overbalanced and fell to the floor, unable to move.

Turning back to Hermione, Ron and Professor Lupin, his attention once again on Scabbers. "I really don't have time for this," he muttered, pointing Ron's wand at the rat.

A flash of blue-white light erupted from the wand wand; for a moment, Scabbers was frozen in Ron's grasp, his small gray form twisting madly - Ron yelled - the rat fell and hit the floor. There was another blinding flash of light and then - It was like watching a speeded-up film of a growing tree. A head was shooting upward from the ground; limbs were sprouting; a moment later, a man was standing where Scabbers had been, cringing and wringing his hands.

He was a very short man, hardly taller than Harry and Hermione. His thin, colorless hair was unkempt and there was a large bald patch on top. He had the shrunken appearance of a plump man who has lost a lot of weight in a short time. His skin looked grubby, almost like Scabbers' fur, and something of the rat lingered around his pointed nose and his very small, watery eyes.

"Well, hello, Peter," Sirius said pleasantly. "Long time, no see."

His gaze was locked on Sirius, his breathing fast and shallow. "Sirius... Please..."

"You've been living on borrowed time, Peter." Sirius' voice was still casual as he smiled evilly, "And now, your time is up."

"No!" As Sirius' wand arm rose, Professor Lupin started toward Sirius_

Sirius reacted, swiftly pointing his wand straight between Professor Lupin's eyes. "Give me a reason," he whispered. "Give me a reason to do it, and I swear I will." Professor Lupin stopped dead, it was impossible to say which face showed more hatred.

"Leave him alone...!" Harry struggled, pulling one hand free from Sirius' grasp. In the same motion, he he gripped the hand holding Ron's wand and jerked Sirius' arm down, pointing the wand away from Professor Lupin.

"That's brave of you, boy - but foolish." Sirius' free hand was suddenly wrapped around Harry's throat, looking down at him as Harry choked, "The next time you try to stop me, it will be your friends who suffer..." Sirius tightened his grip slightly, "... Let... Go... Of... My... Hand."

Choking Harry released Sirius' wand hand, moving instead to claw at the fingers that dug into his throat.

"Just stand still and stay quiet," Sirius whispered softly. "Do you understand?" Nodding Harry continued to pry at the hand around his throat, as Sirius' grip loosened Harry sucked in air, his lungs burning. "Now..." Looking back at Peter, Sirius grinned evilly, "Goodbye Peter."

"S-Sirius p-p-please..." As Sirius raised his want again, Peter's eyes widened in terror. "No!"

"Avada Kedavra!" A blast of green light blazed from the wand in Sirius' hand, Peter was thrown back from the force of the spell, landing on the floor in front of Ron.

Hermione screamed, Ron's eyes were wide stared at the body in front of him in shock, and Professor Lupin stared at Sirius in horror. Clearing his throat, Sirius tightened his hold on Harry. "Well, I'll be going now."

Professor Lupin stepped forward, "You won't get away with this." he told Sirius, "We will find you."

As he stepped back towards the door, Sirius shrugged, "That's why I'm going to make it a bit harder for you to follow me." he said with a grin. "I wonder how long it'll take you to dig your way out of this room after I collapse the roof out here?"

Harry's eyes widened, without their wands, none of them would be able to escape_

His eyes locked on the wands sticking out from Sirius' left pocket, if he could distract Sirius somehow, he could knock the wands out of his pocket. He didn't think about what would happen if Sirius realised what he was up to... As Sirius backed into the doorway, Harry struggled, gripping the door frame with his right hand, apparently trying to 'escape'; that wasn't really possible, he knew that, but Sirius didn't.

"No you don't!"

As Sirius tried to wrench his hand off the door frame, Harry surreptitiously pulled Hermione's, Professor Lupin's and Professor Snape's wands out of Sirius' pocket and dropped them to the floor; as he let Sirius pull him out of the doorway he saw Hermione's eyes widen, she had seen what he had done.

Sirius pointed his wand at the ceiling in front of him, "Bombarda!"

Hermione, Ron, Professor Lupin and Professor Snape instantly disappeared from view, obscured by the falling debis.

xx

Snape was struggling against his bonds, Professor Lupin bent down quickly and untied him. Snape straightened up, rubbing his arms where the ropes had cut into them. "Thank you," he said reluctantly as he looked at Professor Lupin.

"How are we supposed to get out now?" Ron's voice was panicked, and pained as he stared at the wall of broken beams blocking the door.

"Harry took care of that," Hermione said as she darted forward, picking her wand up off the floor, along with Professor Lupin's and Professor Snape's. "Harry wasn't trying to escape before," she said as she handed the Professor's their wands. "He was distracting Sirius so he could get us our wands back."

"That still doesn't explain how we're going to get out of here," Ron said despairingly from the floor.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione sighed and pointed her wand at the blocked doorway, "Bombarda Maxima!" As the debris exploded away from the doorway, Hermione shielded her face with her hands.

"Right,"Lupin said, suddenly businesslike. "Ron, I can't mend bones nearly as well as Madam Pomfrey, so I think it's best if we just strap your leg up until we can get you to the hospital wing."

He hurried over to Ron, bent down, tapped Ron's leg with his wand, and muttered, "Ferula." Bandages spun up Ron's leg, strapping it tightly to a splint. Lupin helped him to his feet; Ron put his weight gingerly on the leg and didn't wince.

"That's better," he said. "Thanks."

Looking at Professor Snape and Professor Lupin, Hermione bit her lip, "What are we going to do about Harry?"

xxx

Sirius gripped Harry's arm tightly, dragging the boy behind him, along the road towards Hogsmead, "keep walking." Harry growled and dug his feet into the ground, refusing to move. frowning, Sirius tugged Harry's arm impatiently, "walk."

"No."

Cocking his head, Sirius raised an eyebrow. "You can either walk voluntarily of your own free will, or you can be carried kicking and screaming." Looking at his Godson, Sirius shrugged, "the choice is entirely up to you."

His eyes flashing angrily, Harry swore and twisted in Sirius' grip, "Let me go!"

"No," Sirius pushed him forward, "move."

When he still refused to move, Harry felt an invisible force push against his back, shoving him forward; he staggered and would have fallen if Sirius hadn't jerked him upright, the hand gripping his arm was cruelly tight. "Let go!" As he struggled, the already painfully tight grip, tightened again. Harry gasped and froze, "please, let go..."

The grip didn't loosen, instead, Sirius' grip tightened, his attention no longer on Harry. "Nooo," he moaned. "Nooo... please..."

And then Harry saw them. Dementors, at least a hundred of them, gliding in a black mass around the lake toward them. He spun around, the familiar, icy cold penetrating his insides, fog starting to obscure his vision; more were appearing out of the darkness on every side; they were encircling them.

Harry's eyes were wide, and as he looked back at Sirius he knew his captor wouldn't be able to get rid of them, harry closed his eyes; to save himself from the Dementors, he had to save Sirius as well. "Give me my wand!"

Sirius blinked, his breath shaking as he stared at harry, "what...?"

"My wand, give it to me now!" He snapped, "I can get rid of them!"

Sirius stared at him, then scowled, ignoring the oncoming Dementors for a moment as he thrust Harry's wand at him. "This had better not be a trick," he snarled, Ron's wand pointed at him.

It wasn't his parents he thought of this time, the first thing he thought of, was Ron and Hermione... They were his first real friends, they were always there when he needed them, always had his back... Harry raised his wand, he only had one chance... "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Out of the end of his wand burst, not a shapeless cloud of mist, but a blinding, dazzling, silver animal. He screwed up his eyes, trying to see what it was... It was galloping silently away from him... He saw it lower its head and charge at the swarming dementors... Now it was galloping around and around the black shapes on the ground, and the dementors were falling back, scattering, retreating into the darkness... They were gone... The Patronus turned, cantering back toward Harry across the ground. Harry's eyes widened as he saw what it was, It was a stag. It was shining brightly as the moon above ... it was coming back to him... It stopped in front of him. Its hooves made no mark on the soft ground as it stared at Harry with its large, silver eyes. Slowly, it bowed its antlered head_

Harry's eyes widened as he understood... "Prongs, " he whispered... But as his trembling fingertips stretched toward the creature, it vanished. Harry stood there, hand still outstretched.

Sirius yanked his wand out of his hand, "come on."

As he was dragged forward, Harry scowled angrily, "You're welcome."


	3. Chapter 3

**_THE SOUL OF BLACK._**

**_What if Sirius really was everyone thought him to be? A Death Eater. A Murderer. Twelve years ago, he failed in his attempt to kill Peter... After he is exposed, he kidnaps Harry to escape the Shrieking Shack._**

**_CHAPTER TWO._**

Harry stumbled as Sirius shoved him into the cave, they were near Hogsmead... But with no way to escape, they might as well have been in the middle of no where, what he didn't understand, was why they weren't in the middle of no where. "Why did you bring me here?"

"Does it matter?" Sirius asked as he forcefully pushed Harry to the ground, "you just sit still and be a good little boy."

Glaring at Sirius, Harry pulled himself to his feet, his eyes filled with anger and contempt. "And if I'm not 'a good little boy'?"

Shaking his head, Sirius shoved harry back against the cave wall and a rough calloused hand closed around his throat. "Don't test me," his voice was a low growl, "You don't want to me to make this worse than it has to be for you."

"And how could you possibly make this any worse?" He didn't know what made him say it, and Harry regretted it the moment he'd spoken as Sirius' face clouded with anger.

Sirius leaned closer, until his face was only millimeters from Harry's, "If you don't as I say, I will bring your friends here, and it will be them who suffer for your actions." Pushing him to the ground again, Sirius stared down at him. "Just sit and stay."

Glaring at Sirius, Harry folded his arms. "Last time I checked, the only dog here was you."

Laughing, Sirius grinned down at Harry, "Good one." Taking a deep breath, Sirius pointed Ron's wand at Harry, thin cords shot from the wand, coiling around Harry's legs.

As his wrists were tied behind his back, Harry began to struggle. "What are you doing?!"

Sirius crouched in front of Harry, his face expressionless as he stared at him. "It's time for you to start serving your purpose."

Still struggling, Harry growled angrily, still glaring at Sirius. "Which is what exactly?"

"Leverage," straitening, Sirius shrugged as he smiled at Harry, "you are my ticket to freedom."

xx

Fudge's face was horrified, as the Headmaster finished telling him what had happened in the Shrieking Shack.

Snape and Professor Lupin stood beside Dumbledore; Snape was scowling, livid with fury, while Professor Lupin's face was pale and creased with worry.

"The teachers have been informed," Dumbledore continued as Fudge stared at him, his wide eyes wide, "And they are more than willing to help to rescue Harry, and capture Sirius Black."

"But Black could be anywhere by now!" Fudge gasped, "How are we supposed to find him?!"

"We have more pressing concerns than Sirius Black's whereabouts right now," Professor McGonagall's face was white with horror as she entered Dumbledore's office. "Sirius Black is holding Mr Potter Hostage," her hand trembled as she held a letter out to Fudge.

"In order for Harry to be released, Black wants a full pardon for all his crimes, including Harry Potter's kidnapping." The Minister's eyes widened as he looked up from the letter, "If we refuse... Harry will be killed."

xx

Harry scowled at Sirius, his Godfather's was facing the mouth of the cave, his arms folded across his chest. He started yanking at the ropes tying his hands behind his back, struggling desperately to escape, gritting his teeth as he struggled to reach the knots with his fingers; if he could just get a grip on one, he could untie the rope.

Of cause, if he was going to escape, he needed to keep Sirius distracted_

"How long have you been able to produce a Patronus?"

Harry froze as Sirius spoke, turning to face him. Shrugging, Harry shifted slightly so his continued attempt to untie his hands was hidden from Sirius, "Professor Lupin taught me earlier this year."

Sirius' eyebrows rose curiously, "I didn't think the Patronus Charm was taught in third year?"

"It isn't," Harry snapped, glaring at Sirius. "Professor Lupin only taught me to use it after the Dementors kept attacking me."

Now Sirius looked intrigued as he frowned, "why would the Dementors attack you?"

Harry finally managed to untie his hands, keeping them behind his back, he glared at Sirius, "why do you think?" As Sirius looked away from him, Harry drew his knees up to his chest, surreptitiously beginning to untie the rope from his legs. "Why did you betray my parents?" It was something he had wanted to know since he had found out that Sirius had been the one who sold his parents out to Voldemort, and now he had the chance to find out.

Sirius didn't turn to face him, he sighed and shook his head. "I didn't mean for them to die," his voice was a low whisper, "but when James asked me to be their Secret Keeper, I was afraid. Everyone knew we were friends, I was the obvious choice..." Sirius took a deep breath, "... I didn't want to betray James or Lily, but I knew Voldemort would know I was their Secret Keeper..."

Harry snarled, glaring at Sirius' back, "So you joined Voldemort to save yourself?!"

Sirius spun around to face him, "I joined him to save them!" He screamed, "Voldemort was only after you, he promised to spare your parents!"

Harry couldn't believe it, couldn't believe how ridiculous it was, then he frowned. "If they had survived, they would have known it was you..." His parents would never have forgiven him.

"I convinced them to swap to Peter as their Secret Keeper," he said softly, turning away from Harry again, so wrapped up in his tale that he didn't notice when Harry finished untying his legs, didn't notice when he silently pushed himself to his feet. "I found out he was a Death Eater as well, and I suggested him to Voldemort, after I realised I couldn't be the one to give them up..."

Harry crept towards Sirius, a fist sized rock in his hand, his arm raised above his head.

Sirius still hadn't heard him, "... If they had survived, they would have thought it was Peter who betrayed them, they never would have suspected that it was me_" He crumpled to the ground as Harry brought the rock down on the back of his head, groaning as Harry grabbed his wand from his pocket.

Straightening, Harry ran from the cave, gasping in terror at Sirius' furious roar as he gave chase.


End file.
